Cloud – are we doomed to it?

The popularity of using cloud solutions is growing.

When talking about digital transformation, it is impossible not to mention the cloud. The popularity of using cloud solutions is growing – almost 60 percent of large companies, less than 40 percent of medium-sized companies and more than 20 percent of small companies in Poland, already use such option. Statistics show that overall on the Polish market, 24.4 percent of organisations are using paid cloud solutions – this represents an increase of 7 p.p. compared to 2019. Does it mean that we are doomed to cloud?

The trend of customers moving to cloud solutions is growing. Every year, more and more companies are choosing to move from the on-premise model to the cloud which offers greater capabilities. The level of cloud services has increased in Poland to 24%. Although the level is higher in the European Union, research shows a growing interest in such a solution. Moreover, this growth will intensify with more and more actions taken by Vendors on the local market (Google Cloud Warsaw from 14 April 2021).

– The Cloud boom is being watched by the teams responsible for on-premise solutions with great concern. It is usually joked that the Cloud is on an upward wave, but only for a while. I don’t think they are right. The cloud gives companies more options, undeniable benefits that you can’t get by setting up your own data centre. The fact that companies around the world are increasingly willing to invest in the cloud gives us grounds to believe that cloud will develop rapidly in the coming years – says Sebastian Nieszwiec, Delivery Architect form Capgemini Poland in Katowice.

Advantages, disadvantages and challenges…

Cloud solutions tempt uses as relatively new, but also raise many concerns. Capgemini experts have decided to take a closer look at the Cloud, discussing in detail the advantages, disadvantages and challenges faced by companies and specialists operating in this field.

– The main advantages, from an enterprise perspective include, the speed of service delivery, a modern subscription-based financial model that offsets large upfront costs in favour of spreading them over time, the pursuit of zero-carbon emission or the possibility of unlimited scalability of solutions, data collection and utilisation on an unprecedented scale while maintaining a balanced TCO.  The service is delivered almost „on the spot” – in such dynamic times, many companies are not able to devote too much time to building own on-premise solutions. Their  selection and implementation process often doesn’t meet expectations. However, the cloud is ready to use almost immediately. Cloud services available in the Pay As You Go model are democratization but in reality, in some enterprises the price of using on-premise solutions is similar or lower than the cost of cloud maintenance. Still, the second option is more affordable due to its flexibility – stresses Dawid Benski, Managing Delivery Architect from Capgemini Poland in Wrocław.

There are no ideal solutions. The use of cloud gives many concerns for potential customers – among them are the need for constant monitoring of service usage, vendor-locking or legal regulations, which particularly restrict organizations from the financial industry.

– Cloud has also a few challenges that we have to face including the need to build new competences. Today, the range of knowledge and skills that are useful for a specialist working in cloud infrastructure is much broader than in the case of on-premise solutions. What is more, the high dynamics of work in the cloud and the shorter life cycle of services mean that the work of an IT specialist is no longer based solely on knowledge, but on rapid and flexible adaptation to trends and accepted patterns. The ability to learn quickly and develop core engineering competencies are now even more valuable traits in IT – says Arkadiusz Maciejowski, Managing Delivery Architect from Capgemini Poland in Wrocław.

Capgemini as a guide to the cloud

For many years, Capgemini has been working with a wide range of industries supporting companies in digital transformation, designing, creating and implementing a number of applications, tools, entire systems. These tasks aim to support organizations in their daily operations. One of the range of services provided by Capgemini is Cloud.

– We, as Capgemini, are a cloud integrator. We know perfectly well the expectations and needs of our clients. From the wide range of possibilities offered by cloud providers, we select those that will contribute to filling the gap or eliminating the problem faced by the organization. Our task is to plan the transition to cloud infrastructure, indicate a new way of functioning – structuring new processes and developing a new way of thinking for the whole organisation – explains Dawid Benski.

The Capgemini brand works with market leaders from many sectors including automotive, industry, logistics, finance, biomedical. In Poland, among the most frequent clients there are companies from the German market, however, what is worth emphasizing is that the knowledge of German language is not required among IT specialists.

– Working at Capgemini on cloud projects is an extremely valuable opportunity to work on the latest technologies, in the most modern and prosperous projects. The projects that we often work on are extremely innovative – prestigious, high-budget, so working on them gives you not only great satisfaction, but also allows you to gain unique knowledge and experience. What is more, teams at Capgemini are built of outstanding specialists – we are willing and able to transfer knowledge which in the long run results in high efficiency of operation – emphasizes Sebastian Nieszwiec.

More about cloud solutions and projects that Capgemini Poland implements can be found in the debate „Are we doomed to the Cloud?”.